Inception
by Gurty Nemus
Summary: Shamelessly riding on the coattails of the hit psychological thriller, in this story, out of the blue, Dom starts getting ideas about Kel.
1. Drunk Honeylove Come on

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Tamora Pierce.

Chapter 1: Drunk Honeylove Come-on

They were in the Jugged Hare, Kel, Neal, Merric and Dom. They were drinking and eating and laughing together. Kel had perhaps drunk a little too much, and her mind was buzzing strangely. Several times, she caught herself thinking about leaning over and kissing Dom, right out of the blue, and that was something she would never, ever think about when she was sober.

Neal went to join a card game and told Dom and Merric to keep an eye on her. Merric broke his promise quickly at the first wink from a pretty girl at the back of the tavern, and she was left alone with Dom.

She and Dom talked for a bit. Or rather, he talked and she slurred back. They had some catching up to do. Dom told her about the Own and Lord Raoul. Kel told him about Neal and New Hope. Ladedah. Then they spoke a bit about strategy, when they thought the war was going to be over. Kel was itching to ask Dom about the lady friend Neal had told her about, but she thought she would betray herself if she did.

Then Dom had to go outside to piss, and Kel said Okay, be back soon, and he shook his head and smiled at her. And Kel thought later that of course, what happened next would only happen to her when she was drunk and alone and there was a blueberry pie stain on her tunic.

It went like this:

A pretty barmaid came up to her and asked if she'd like another drink. Kel said, "NoooOOOooooo, thank you." The barmaid pressed. What about wine? No, said Kel. She offered Kel more food, pastries, lemon water and scented oils for her hands, a shoulder rub. All of which Kel turned down as she became increasingly uncomfortable. She looked toward the door to see if Dom would appear, but just like a man, he didn't. Finally, she said to the barmaid, "Thank you, I don't need anything. I think what I really need is my bed."

The barmaid smiled a pretty, shy smile and sat down next to Kel. "I have a bed upstairs," she said, "perhaps you could come up, and we could… share it."

Kel gulped. Her mind groped for words, but everything in her head seemed to be sloshing around, and she couldn't get a hold on anything. She managed to say, "I think you've made a mistake. I'm a woman."

The barmaid smiled again. "Anyone could see that, milady." And then she took Kel's hand and drew it up under her skirt.

Kel felt suddenly soberer.

And Dom was back. "Did I miss anything?—Oh." He turned bright red, right to his ears. "Uh—um."

Kel snatched her hand back. "We should really get going big day tomorrow jousting might be killed better get some shut eye." As Kel whizzed past him, Dom grabbed his and her cloaks and took a moment to tell Neal they were leaving.

"Why so early?" Neal asked him, but Dom was already gone.

By the time Dom got outside, Kel had scurried up the lane just far enough away to feel she'd removed herself from the site of humiliation, but not so far that Dom couldn't see her. He walked up to her slowly and handed over her cloak. "She just—did you see—I couldn't—"

"Yeah," said Dom.

They started toward the palace.

"Did she think you were a man or something?" Kel thought she caught him looking at the flat front of her tunic, and it stung her that he'd noticed how flat-chested she was, even if it was plain to see.

"No," Kel replied.

"Oh," said Dom. "Did—uh, um, nevermind. It's a nice night tonight, eh?"

Oh, Goddess.

The rest of the walk was excruciating. She kept wanting to tell him what had happened, but a combination of the ale and her own silliness kept her from constructing any coherent sentences. She only got as far as clearing her throat.

He walked her to her rooms. Dom didn't normally do this, and that made it worse.

She was through her door and about to thank him when she'd noticed he'd come in after her. A look of concern and considerable discomfort graced his features. Kel braced for impact.

"You know, Kel. Eh." He reached out and shut the door. He was completely red again. Kel stared at him. "You know, Kel, it's okay if you're… What I'm saying is that… Everyone is different, and we all have our… we have to find our way in life, and sometimes that involves experimentation, and sometimes we find we like new things, and it's fine to like new things, and there is no shame in… What I'm saying is that, you shouldn't feel you have to hide things about yourself, because we're friends, and friends… care. And hell, let me tell you, no one could fault you for… especially, I mean, I love women, I always have, and I think it's great if you've decided to love women too. If you have." Perhaps we should mention, Dom was a little drunk too.

Kel got the gist of what he was saying halfway through and mortification settled over her anew. By the time he was done, the part of her brain that produced speech had finally come through for her. "Dom, I'm not a… I don't love women. She just came on to me, and I didn't realise until too late."

"Oh. All right I just wanted to… make sure."

"No, of course… Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They stood in silence a moment. Dom did that thing he did when he was uncomfortable, which was to swing his arms in front of him and slap his fist into his palm, and again, and again.

Kel forced a laugh. "I guess it was kind of funny."

"Yeah, haheha." Still palm slapping.

Another laugh. "Of course, I never even thought that was where she was going. I've never even thought of it. Have you ever—I mean, how could two women… I can't picture it, can you? Two women, together…"

Dom's mouth fell open. Then he closed it. "No, I've never pictured anything… like that."

"Me neither."

"No siree, never. I'm not the type."

"What?"

"Not for me."

"No."

"I'd better be going."

"Yeah."

"I'll go then."

"Yeah."

"I just wanted to make sure. I just wanted you to know that we're all friends, and we'll support you."

"Thank you, Dom."

"Okay, good night."

"Good night…"

"Bye."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite."

"No, that won't happen to me."

"Okay."

And then they both went to bed. And the Drunk Fairy was cruel, and the next morning they remembered everything.


	2. Inception

Chapter 2: Inception

A depressing thought occurred to Kel the next day. She was cleaning her teeth (an activity that the brutally hung-over of the world approach as if half-remembered from a grade-school instructional video) and she suddenly thought, _That little barmaid was the first of anyone to take an interest in me since Cleon._ And Cleon was two years ago.

Mithros. She hadn't been kissed in more than two years.

Then a second depressing thought occurred to Kel, and it was worse than the first.

For at least a half an hour last night, Dom had thought she was a honeylove. He'd actually believed it was true. Tried to get her to come out to him.

Oh, Mithros.

One of the rare moments came over her when she wished she looked a little softer, her shoulders not so hard bound, her hips a little wider. Recalling the direction of Dom's gaze last night, she added another one: large, full breasts. Or at least ones that were visible beneath her clothing. Then maybe, men would see her as a woman.

Not just another schmuck with their hand up a barmaid's skirt.

Kel, ever the valiant knight, sound in mind as well as body, made herself ignore these thoughts as they arose and finished her teeth. Then she went on to a bath. She chose a private bath today, with oils and rose petals. Then she had a massage. After being so nice to her body, she felt a bit better.

But not much.

Dom was having a significantly easier time of it (the evening hadn't held any important implications about his sexuality, so in that light everything was all right. He also hadn't gotten laid, so that put a damper on things). He was anticipating an awkward reunion with Kel, and at breakfast he wasn't sure what to tell Neal when he asked why they'd left so suddenly. He didn't want to embarrass her.

"Um, something came up." No, not good enough. "Kel was really tired, and I thought I'd be chivalrous and walk her home."

Neal nodded. "She was drunker than I've ever seen her." Dom nodded and smiled, but there must have been something different in the smile, something that hinted at secret knowledge, because Neal honed in on it. Tapping his spoon on the table, he asked casually, "Did you walk her all the way the palace?"

"Yep," said Dom around a bite of porridge.

"To her door?"

"Yep."

"That was nice of you. You know, a lesser man might have taken advantage."

Dom paused mid-chew. "What?"

Neal put his spoon down. "Come on, Dom. I've seen the way you look at her."

Dom was confused. "What?"

Neal raised an eyebrow. "The way you always hang around."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You think it's a secret? You volunteered to go to Scanra to rescue her."

"Meathead, you're way off base."

Neal blinked, looking a little unsure, but still he persisted. "Am I?"

"Kel and I are friends."

"Uh huh."

"We're just friends."

"Let me ask you a question. When you walked her to her door last night, did you go in with her?"

Dom stared at him.

Sensing he'd hit something (though he really hadn't), Neal pressed, "Just to make sure she was all right? Make sure she got into bed okay?"

"Way off base, Meathead."

"Sure," said Neal, making clear his disbelief.

Dom scoffed, chucked his toast into his porridge bowl, and stalked off, muttering something about the stables. As he reached the door of the mess, he called again, "Way off!"

Neal waved and ate the rest of Dom's toast.

Dom smarted from Neal's needling for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. "Doesn't know what he's talking about," he muttered as he groomed his mare. "Can't a man and a woman be friends, just friends, without everyone imagining… Of course they can."

_I've seen the way you look at her._ That was the remark that puzzled him the most. Everything else Neal had mentioned could be put down to friendship. Close friendship. But this… How was he supposed to look at her? He didn't think he looked at her differently than any other woman. No, to take it a step further, he didn't think he looked at her differently than he looked at any man. And that was the truth, honest to gods.

It irked him, then, when Kel came into the stables and he couldn't look at her.

"Hello, Dom."

"Hello, Kel." He didn't raise his face from his mare's hindquarters. "You feeling all right this morning?" Small talk.

"As well as can be expected."

Dom smiled. Still not looking at her, he said, "Look, Kel, I'm sorry if you were offended by what I suggested last night. It was out of order, I should have just asked you, or waited until today."

"It's fine. We were both a little drunk."

That got him to look at her. "Oh, I think you were more than a little drunk." Her answering smile made him chuckle. It made him feel warm inside, too. It made him want to make her smile again. "You had blueberry pie on your tunic all evening, and you didn't even notice."  
"I noticed. But what's a stain on your tunic when you're drunk as a skunk."

"Yeah, sure."

"What was I supposed to do, take it off?"

Dom's smile vanished and he was uncomfortable again. "No." He suddenly wondered if the breasts that were hidden under the tunic were visible when she was in just her shirtsleeves. It was not bad to think these thoughts. One gets to thinking about how a lot of people would look in various states of undress, over one's lifetime. It didn't mean anything.

Feeling the conversation veer toward the awkward, Kel tried to lighten the mood. "I must not have looked that bad. I still managed to hook that barmaid, huh?"

Dom felt guilty, then, because it must have hurt to bring it up, even humorously. "What can I say, she obviously had great taste in women," he said.

Kel blushed cherry red. Dom blushed tomato red. It was strange, because he was used to flirting. He flirted with everyone, including Kel. Why was it any different today?

"Hum," said Kel.

"So, how is Lord Peachblossom this morning?"

Kel smiled. "Indifferent."

And things went back to normal.

Dom came with Kel to the Royal Stables to help her groom Gosi and Peachblossom. They were in a spot in the stables where the sun shone down through a gap in the roof, and though it was approaching fall, they were hot and sweaty by the time they finished with Peachblossom. He's a big horse, by goddess.

"Phew!" said Dom, and walked over to rain barrel. He tugged his tunic off, then his shirt for good measure, and splashed himself with water. He dunked his head and slicked his dark hair back. It felt good, the little rivulets of water trickling down his back, his chest, into the crease of his armpit. There was also some strange satisfaction he was getting out of knowing Kel was behind him, seeing his bare back, watching the water pour over him. For the moment he didn't question it. Kel was a woman, and he liked to impress women. Who cared what Meathead said? He turned around.

Kel was carefully not looking at him, attending to a seemingly stubborn knot in Gosi's tail.

Dom dunked a handkerchief in the barrel and brought it over to her. He held it out, still dripping. "Here, Kel."

She looked up at him from under her lashes. They were long, pretty lashes. The thought sent a jolt through him.

She took the handkerchief, opened her tunic a little and dabbed around her collarbone, then wiped the back of her neck. Dom noticed how nicely shaped it was, her neck. The soft little hairs there were plastered to her skin. She dragged the handkerchief over her throat, briefly swiped her temples, then handed it back. "Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome," Dom croaked.

He noticed her eyes skittered over his chest before she returned to her task. Again, he found he liked this more than he should, but he didn't dare question it. It was just he was feeling affectionate and flirtatious today, after the embarrassment last night. Teasing. Like a big brother. Yes, she'd always been like a little sister to him.

"Kel," he said, growing bolder, "what happened last night, has anything like that happened to you before?"

Kel reddened. "No," she said. "That was a first." She laughed. "In fact, I don't think I've ever been accosted in a tavern before, by anyone, so it was doubly unusual." She laughed again, then trailed off, rethinking what she'd said. She spluttered. "Most men think I'm a man."

Dom had to make an effort not to let his gaze drift to her chest. He tried to think of something to say in response, but there wasn't anything that didn't sound like a come on. So he just nodded.

After a while, Kel got less red.

Dom reminded himself that, being her 'big brother,' he ought to give her some advice. "Next time," he said, his voice a little deeper and authoritative than usual, "you ought to be a little more assertive."

Kel started getting red again. "She was just a girl, Dom."

Dom put down his brush and moved to stand next to her, leaning with one arm on Gosi's hindquarters. "She took liberties with your person, Kel." He was so close he could smell the clean sweat on her neck. "Would you let a man treat you like that?"

She looked at him sidelong from under her lashes again, her back straight. His eyes slid along the long, clean line of her, from the sturdy, muscled shoulders, down her strong back, to the generous swell of her bottom. His hand, hanging innocently at his side, itched to palm her through her breeches, see if she was as firm and warm as she looked.

"No," said Kel.

"What?" Dom felt slightly dazed.

"No, I wouldn't let a man take liberties with my person like that."

"Oh, right." Dom stuffed his hand into his breeches pocket.

"Next time, if there is a next time, I'll be more firm."

Dom's eyes shot down to her bottom and then back up. "That's the spirit," he said, and put the horse between them again. He swore ever so quietly so Kel could not hear. Brothers did not want to grope their sisters' asses. He grabbed his shirt and put it back on. Once he'd tucked it into his breeches, he thought he caught a flash of disappointment in Kel's eyes, and that was even more unsettling and confusing.

What was happening? Dom could not recall ever feeling so little in control.

They finished with Gosi in record time and managed to barely look at each other through the whole process.

Afterward, Kel said she was going to have lunch with Neal, but Dom passed on her invitation, because by now he wanted to kill Neal. He'd never felt so strange around Kel before Neal made his indecent suggestion. Of course, there was a niggling thought in the back of his mind, that Neal couldn't just plant that idea in his brain*, surely this wouldn't be happening unless some part of him had already had these ideas about Kel.

Later, Dom would regret not accompanying her, though, because he was called out with the Own the next day, and it was a few months before he saw her again.

*Dom hasn't seen _Inception._ Yet.


End file.
